Anticipation and Disappointment
by alynwa
Summary: Katie's mother is coming and Alan finds something out.
1. Chapter 1

All week long, Katie had been giddy with anticipation. Her fiancé Jerry had promised her a surprise come Friday and it was now Friday morning. She had stayed in her apartment last night because Jerry had called to say that he and Clarence had to work late and he didn't see himself getting home before three AM. _That case is really onerous; both of them are being consumed by it. _She stepped out of the shower, wrapped herself in a towel and stood in front of her closet deciding what to wear. _I think I'm going to pack a bag to take to the office, just in case._

Jerry was also getting ready for work and he was beginning to feel excited about Katie's mom coming to America. He had texted her the day before to let her know that there would be a limo waiting for her and the chauffeur would be holding up a sign with her name on it. She had texted back that she had never ridden in a limo before and was looking forward to meeting her daughter's generous fiancé. _She agreed not to let Katie know she's coming. This is all so exciting! _He hopped twice before he could calm himself down. He only hoped that the case he and Clarence were working on wouldn't prevent him from leaving in a timely manner, especially since Mrs. Lloyd was being driven to his condo. _Things are so different since the Chinese took over, _he thought.

Alan was feeling like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Denny had bounced back like a champ; Doctor Forrester had prescribed iron pills to raise Denny's level and they had worked like a charm. The older man's energy had rebounded wonderfully, he wasn't sleeping nearly as much as he had been the week before. That Friday morning, the two men were sitting in the dining room having more coffee after eating the scrumptious breakfast Olympia had prepared. "I have to say, Denny, I am _so_ relieved that you're doing so much better."

"I do feel great and I can admit it now, I didn't realize how badly I was feeling until I started taking the iron pills. It's a little scary how you start to just accept how you're feeling as normal. Thank you, Alan."

The younger man's brows furrowed together. "What are you thanking me for?"

Denny smiled and replied, "For caring. No one else gives a crap whether I live or die. Not the way you do. You make me want to keep going. You're a good husband. I don't…I don't deserve you." He looked away and sniffed before regaining his composure.

"Whether you deserve me or not, you've got me and I'm not going anywhere. I love you, Denny." Alan cleared his throat and went to the sideboard to take some more scrambled eggs and sausage. "Apparently," he laughed, "being married to you makes one hungry." He sat back down and took a bite. "Do you have any plans today?"

"No, not really. What about you?"

"I was thinking I would call Jerry and meet him for lunch if he can get away. If he can, would you like to go?"

Denny sipped his coffee and looked at the younger man looking back at him with that look that was a combination of love, wonder and adoration that he still couldn't believe was directed toward him. "Sure, why not," he replied affably, "I haven't seen Hands in quite some time."

"Denny, please refrain from calling him 'Hands.' He's not that person anymore, just like you're not the same 'Mad Cow' Denny you were before you started taking the experimental medication."

Denny held up his right hand in the Boy Scout salute. "Scout's honor, I will not call Jerry Espenson 'Hands' today or ever again in his presence. Happy now?"

"I'm always happy around you. Let's head to the living room and I'll text Jerry."

Judge Brown had called a ten minute recess at ten o'clock. When he exited the courtroom, Jerry stuck his cigarette in his mouth as he sat down and said to Clarence, "That coffee and bran muffin just kicked in! This will be more like fifteen or twenty minutes."

Clarence laughed as he looked around quickly to see if anyone else had heard what Jerry said. "I think we're doing well. Our witness this morning killed it and when the jury puts it together with our other witnesses, the plaintiff doesn't stand a chance."

Jerry removed his prop from his mouth. "I agree. So why are we not happy about it?" Just then, his phone vibrated to indicate he had received a text. "Alan wants to know if I'm free for lunch. Want to join us? Denny is coming, too."

Clarence replied, "That would be nice. I haven't seen either of them in quite a while."

Lunchtime found the four men at Marceau's enjoying steak sandwiches and fries. Alan and Denny were drinking Samuel Adams beers while Jerry and Clarence had iced tea. They had been discussing Jerry and Clarence's case and Alan shared their opinion that they would have been happier representing the plaintiff.

"You know what? Enough about the case," Clarence said, "Let's talk about something cheerful. Alan, you and I should coordinate our wardrobe for Jerry's wedding since we're the Best Men."

Alan's face stilled into an unreadable mask. "You're Jerry's Best Man, too? I didn't know."

Jerry turned beet red. "Is that a problem, Alan? I was going to call you to let you know, but, but _pop_ is it a problem?"

"Of course not! Why would it be? I think _your _problem is your future mother – in – law's visit. I take it she's on her way?"

Denny, who had been listening quietly for awhile, perked up. "What's wrong with having her visit? He's trying to get on the good side of his fiancée's mother."

Jerry began twirling the straw in his iced tea. "Alan thinks it's a bad idea to surprise Katie with a visit from her mother. I'm betting he's wrong. I'm having a car meet her and bring her to my place this evening. It will work out, you'll see." _I hope._


	2. Chapter 2

Clarence and Jerry got back to the Crane Poole and Schmidt offices just before five o'clock and immediately sat with Paul Lewiston to apprise him of what had transpired in court. As expected, he was more than pleased with their handling of the case and intimated that they should expect fairly substantial Christmas bonuses. Walking out of his office Clarence said, "It looks like we can get out of here at a reasonable hour, for once. What time is Mrs. Lloyd getting to your place?"

"_Purrrrr! _She lands at five – thirty and I figure by the time she clears Customs and Immigration and gets her luggage, she'll be meeting the driver around six – thirty, quarter to seven. Considering rush – hour traffic, I expect her at my place around eight. I'm going to have Katie come home with me; we'll stop for takeout and while we're eating, her mom will show up and it will be _wonderful! Pop!"_

Clarence smiled shyly as they reached his office. "I'm really hoping it is wonderful for you, Jerry. Claire and I are heading up to the Cape for the weekend so tell me all about it next week."

"I will. Bye, Clarence." Jerry headed to his and Katie's office. "Hello!" he called cheerily as he stepped inside, "How has your day been?"

"I've had better. I had a visit from one of the new senior managing partners, a Mr. Cheng Kai. A more loathsome individual cannot possibly exist."

"What, what did he want?"

"He said I was doing too much _pro bono _work. I showed him my statistics to prove that I'm not doing any more than I was doing under Crane Poole and Schmidt and _he _said that from now on, everyone is expected to do less than before. 'We are here to make profit for the firm, not to help the poor. Legal Aide serves that purpose.' The cheek of him!"

Rubbing her back tenderly Jerry asked, "What did you say?"

"There's no arguing with that attitude. As soon as he left, I went to see Paul since he seems to have the best rapport with the Chinese and told him what Cheng said. Paul said part of the reason Crane Poole and Schmidt almost went bankrupt was because too many cases were undertaken for which we couldn't get paid and he's glad the Chinese are putting a stop to it. He put a lot of the blame for that on Alan, too." She sighed loudly. "I'm tired of thinking about it. So, tell me about my surprise! Are we going away? I brought a weekend bag," she said as she pointed to it.

"No, not this time. Your surprise will be at my house. Let's leave now, stop and get something to take home to eat and see what happens. _Pop! _Okay?"

She stood, pecked his cheek and went to put on her coat. "Okay, then. Let's be off." As she followed him out the door she thought, _Now I have no idea what he's got up his sleeve! I'm really looking forward to this._

"All right, Jerry, the suspense is killing me! Where is my surprise?"

"Soon, it should be here soon." He glanced at his watch again; it was eight – fifteen. They had finished their meal and were sitting on the couch, glasses of wine in hand. He had received a text thirty minutes earlier from the driver to let him know he had Mrs. Lloyd in the car and they were on the way.

"Oh, you're having something delivered? What is it? Give me a hint!" She poked him playfully and he chirped like a bird. Laughingly she said, "Well, _that's _a sound I've never heard!" Just then, the doorbell sounded. "My surprise is here! Do you want to get the door?"

Jerry was bouncing on the couch in anticipation. "No, no, you get it." She walked to the door and he grabbed his phone and prepared to take pictures. _This is going to be great!_

Katie opened the door and froze in shocked, stunned silence. Jerry was starting to wonder if someone else was at the door when he heard a very cultured Englishwoman's voice say, "My goodness, Katie, you're acting like you've seen a ghost! Am I supposed to just stand out here all night or are you going to let your mum come inside? Has the cat got your tongue, dear?"

Katie took a step backward and motioned with one arm. "No, of course not. Come in, Mummy. I'm sorry, I'm just…" She waved her arms as her mother came past her pulling her rather large suitcase, "really, really surprised. I don't mean to sound rude, but why are you here?"

"Your fiancé invited me. Why I had to hear that you're engaged from him instead of you we'll discuss later. He contacted me earlier this week and extended an invitation to stay with him so you and I could discuss wedding plans." She looked over Katie's shoulder to Jerry who was still seated on the couch. "Aren't you going to introduce me, Darling?"

"Yes, of course. Mummy, this is Jerry Espenson, my fiancé. Jerry, this is my mother, Lady Beatrice Lloyd."

Jerry stood and did something between a bow and a curtsey. "_Pop! Pop! Pop! _Pleased to meet you, Lady Lloyd. I _Pop! Purrrrr! _didn't know you were royalty, Katie."

Katie replied, "We're not royalty and we're very comfortable, but not rich. The titles are generations old, but it's just a title."

Mrs. Lloyd stared at him silently for a few seconds before turning to her daughter to ask, "Good Lord, what is _wrong _with him?"

"_Mother!" _Katie looked at Jerry and said, "I am so sorry."

Jerry was embarrassed, but determined not to let it faze him. "You must be _purrrr! _tired from your travels. Let me show you to your room."

"Katie, are you living here with…him?"

"No, Mother, I still have my place."

"Then I shall stay with you. I don't think I would be very _comfortable _here."

Katie's temper, which she had been fighting a losing battle against, exploded full – force. "Absolutely not! How _dare _you accept Jerry's invitation and then insult him in this manner? Knowing how he is, I'm sure he paid your way here and for you to do this? I am _ashamed _of you and your behavior!" She then turned her fury on Jerry. "And you! Why would you take it upon yourself to announce to _my _family our engagement? Did it even occur to you to discuss any of this with me? _Well?_"

"I, I, I, I wanted to surprise you, Katie," he managed to stutter out as he squirmed under her glare. He reached for his cigarette, but thought better of it when he saw her nostrils flare. "It seems I've surprised you both."

"And not in a good way," sniffed Lady Lloyd, "I sure I've offended my daughter sufficiently enough that she would prefer not to drive me, so If you would be so kind as to call me a cab, I shall go to check in at the Mandarin."

"You're a cab!" Jerry's hands slid to his thighs and he began bouncing on his toes as the sound of his joke falling flat filled the room. Unable to stand it anymore, he put his cigarette in his mouth and glared at Katie's mother. "Listen, Toots, you should lighten up and grow a sense of humor. I'm going in my room to make the cab call and…" His shoulders slumped as he took the cigarette from his mouth. "Katie will show you out. I'm sorry I'm not what you expected, Milady."

The two women watched him head down the hall to his bedroom. "Katie, Darling, I know you're upset right now, but you and I must have a conversation about your beau. I planned to be here for a week. Your father won't be thrilled that my free room has transformed into a four hundred dollar a night hotel room, but I'll tell him it's worth every penny to keep you from making a terrible mistake."

"You've only just met him and he's a 'terrible mis_take?' _I'll see you downstairs."

The two women stepped outside Jerry's building to wait for the cab Katie knew he had called. When it pulled up, Lady Lloyd kissed her daughter on the cheek as she opened the door. "I'll call you tomorrow, Darling. We'll have lunch and we will talk this all out, yes?"

Katie dutifully held the door as her mother entered and told the driver where to go. "I'll speak with you in the morning, Mother. Goodnight."

As the taxi pulled away she thought, _This is horrible, just horrible! What am I going to do? _She went back inside and got into the elevator. _And poor Jerry, he was only trying to do something to make me happy. This is a debacle._


	3. Chapter 3

After lunch with Clarence and Jerry, Denny had decided that he wanted to go shopping for some new dress shirts. "The holiday season is coming up, Alan. We have to be ready to make the social rounds," he said as he perused the stock at Boston Louis.

Alan held a shirt in front of him to see if he liked how the color contrasted with his skin. "I would have thought you had enough of the social rounds after _last _year's holiday season."* Besides, weren't you telling me last week that you were looking into spending some time in Las Vegas? Was that for real or were you just trying to distract me from asking about your health?"

"No, no, it was real. I'm really not interested in spending another winter in Boston. It's comfortable out there this time of year. I think I want to spend the entire winter out there. We can do Thanksgiving here, maybe with Carl and Shirley, and then head to Vegas before Christmas."

"The _entire_ winter? I don't know about that, Denny."

They had moved to the cashier where Denny paid for their purchases. Alan picked up their bags and followed him to the car. Dave shut the door after Alan sat and went around to the driver's seat.

"Dave, we're heading home," he instructed before raising the privacy panel. "First of all, think about spending the winter in the Valley. We do own a house in Henderson, you know, so it's not like we'd be living on the Strip, though we could if we wanted to." He held up his hand to stop Alan from answering. "Just think about it. Changing the subject: it bothered you when Clarence said he's Jerry's Best Man, also."

"No, it _didn't_…"

"Remember who I am; your husband, Denny Crane? Even Hands noticed how quiet you got, you think I didn't? 'Fess up, Alan."

Alan sighed and leaned into the older man who adjusted to accommodate him. "All right; yes, I was a little taken aback when Clarence announced we should get matching tuxes since we are co – Best Men. I mean, I told Jerry _years _ago that though I consider him a good friend, _you_ are my _best _friend.** Once he was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and got help, I encouraged him to reach out and make new friends. I'm glad he feels close to Clarence, I do. I guess a part of me enjoyed being his only male friend." He looked out the window. "Your spouse is something of a hypocrite, Denny."

The older man laughed softly and ruffled the hair of the man lying on his chest. "It's okay to feel a little jealous. Now maybe you know how I felt when you and Jerry became so close so fast. In case you haven't noticed, I don't have a lot of friends. Associates, yes. Acquaintances, yes, but real _friends_, it's just you."

"Well, what about Shirley? You don't consider her a friend?"

"I consider her an ex – lover. I don't know, it's complicated. I love Shirley, I do, but as much as she and I can sit with a bottle of scotch and shoot the breeze, I don't dare tell her my deepest, darkest secrets. I can't tell her everything I tell you."

"You flatter me, Denny. You forget that without you by my side, no one in polite Boston society would even _talk _to me, _including _Shirley and Carl." Before Denny could respond, Alan's phone rang and noting the caller ID said it was Jerry, he answered. "So, how's it…" he stopped speaking and listened. "Jerry, I'm sorry."

He sat upright and continued to listen. Denny mouthed, "Katie's mom?" and he nodded and gave a "Thumbs down" sign.

After a few more minutes Alan said, "Okay, Jerry, hang in there. Call me later. Keep me informed. Good luck." He replaced his cell in his pocket. "I was afraid of that. Katie was, shall we say, not the only one surprised this evening. Apparently, the Lady Lloyd demanded to know what was wrong with him and decided she would not be staying with him during her visit."

"That bitch!"

"Indeed. Jerry said that Katie yelled at him for taking it upon himself to inform her parents they were engaged before she escorted her mother downstairs to get a cab."

The older man's eyes widened. "Katie left with her mother?"

"No. She's coming back and Jerry's scared of what she'll say when she returns."

"Espenson should have learned from _my _mistake," he sighed.*** "Surprises just don't seem to work in our circle."

The car entered their property and eventually pulled up in front of the house. The chauffeur opened the door on Denny's side while Alan grabbed their packages and let himself out. They headed up to their bedroom after Rodeo, their butler, took their coats. As Denny pulled shirts from the bags and handed them to Alan to hang up he said, "Well, if the wedding's off, maybe we can go to Vegas that much sooner."

"I don't think we should start packing just yet; I doubt seriously that Katie will end the engagement, but I _do _think that Jerry has just bought himself a bunch of trouble he could have easily avoided."

"It's a good thing we don't have in – laws to worry about. I've had 'em before. Can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em."

Alan chuckled, "Another reason why our marriage is solid. Want to watch a movie?"

"Sure, why not. And, just so you know: This really is my favorite marriage."

As Alan settled in with Denny to watch _Mission Impossible II _he thought, _I hope sincerely that Jerry and Katie can work out their problems. They could be as happy as Denny and I are._

*ref. "A Tale of Four Holidays"

**ref. "On the Same Page"

***ref. "Honesty"


End file.
